CJLO's Top Picks at Fringe Fest 2018

Montreal's St-Ambroise Fringe Festival is finally here! For nearly three weeks, be ready to watch and hear the best and weirdest of local and international culture, both in English et en français. CJLO will be covering the best of Fringe, and to launch our series of articles, here are our Fringe Team's top picks for this year's Fringe festival.

Erica’s picks

Fliers and posters covering every available surface, people walking around in strange costumes, familiar faces, music, excited crowds. Small tables parked on the sidewalk, with a friendly face inviting people into their venue. Step into any of them, and you’ll be transported to another world, as you witness something birthed from a stranger’s love of theatre. The strongest sense of community I have ever experienced; I love everything about the Montreal Fringe Festival.

Dance Side of the Moon: The festival hasn’t even started yet, but there are already a number of things that I am extremely excited to see. For starters, Dance Side of the Moon (Freestanding Room) is a dance piece set to Pink Floyd’s album The Dark Side of the Moon. I love Pink Floyd and I love dance, so this really sounds like a winning combination to me.

4’33” in Baghdad(venue 9) calls itself an “immersive and interactive academic strip tease.” After hosting The F Hole for so many years and constantly promoting the idea that behind every pretentious classical music attitude is a deceivingly immature sense of humour, it would feel like a personal betrayal to not attend this play.

Justice On The Ropes: A Clint Hacker Mystery(venue 11) promises to be a creative interlocking of the professional wrestling world with a classic film noir mystery. I know absolutely nothing about wrestling, but the Fringe Festival is a time to learn new things and have different experiences. Plus, there is something oddly enticing about a film noir mystery done with a wrestling theme. Maybe the real mystery will be, “why didn’t anyone think of this sooner?”

There are so many more plays that I want to see, and I am now faced with the difficult task of deciding what can fit into my schedule. Wish me luck, and I hope I see you out there.

[…]morph: I really enjoyed the absurdity of A David Lynch Wet Dream from two Fringes ago, so when I heard that the same people will be putting on a play this year, I knew I had to see it. I have no idea what it’s about, I just want to see something that’s dark, bizarre and completely unpredictable.

Betch A Sketch: Here’s another play I don’t know too much about, I’m only familiar with the creators; Montreal’s own alt-rock band Pope Joan (who will also be performing at the Fringe Park). The play is described as “five women on a mission to hijack your imagination,” so that makes it all the more intriguing.

Slaying In Suburbia: An Interactive Murder Mystery: It seems like the only way to shake up the monotony of suburban life is to have a killer on the loose. But wait, an interactive murder mystery? Does this mean that the audience has to crack the case? What happens if we choose wrong? Only one way to find out.

Apocalipsync: Humanity is a Drag: Montreal’s legendary House of Laureen is back at it again with a post-apocalyptic lip sync extravaganza. Starring Laureen’s Uma Gahd, Dot Dot Dot and Anaconda LaSabrosa as well as the iconic Peaches Lepage, this show is guaranteed to snatch your edges and leave you gagging! Don’t miss these stunning queens challenge corrupt politicians and oppression within society!

Greasy: A Lesbian Love Story: Glam Gam Productions subverts Grease’s problematic narratives in this smutty, queer parody. They’ll teach you about gender identity, polyamory, homosexuality, consent and more in the sexiest ways possible! They even have a live band and intensely choreographed fight scenes! But most importantly, Greasy features an amazing cast with our city’s most talented and empowering performers!

What The Hell Happened To My Patio Furniture: With such a bizarre premise, I’m dying to see this show! Come watch this epic furniture mystery unfold at Montreal Improv Espace B. This thrilling play stars the incredible Joshua Budman, whose improv skills cannot be beat! Come to find out what happened to Joshua’s chairs and stay for his outstanding comedic stylings.